Welcome to the 132nd Season of Texas Longhorns Football!
Traditions
We begin a new tradition this year. The Southeastern Conference.
Two videos from my friend @NashTalksTexas
2024 Texas Longhorns – Smells Like Teen Spirit
Don’t miss the Earl Campbell run at the 1:26 mark or so in this one.
Two of my all-time favorites. The first is a campus fly-over set to the Eyes of Texas. The other is one my favorites from the “What Starts Here Changes the World” series, narrated by the legendary Texas Ex Walter Cronkite.
When will we get remakes of some of these What Starts Here videos in HD with the new Austin skyline?
Another good one and highly recommended: https://youtu.be/N9UmB9re0ls
One of my very favorite Longhorns, Michael Shaw, who makes an appearance at the 1:07 mark.
The 2024 College Football Season
The whole college football landscape has changed (indeed, all of college sports), more than at any other moment in my lifetime. But it is always evolving. I am by nature a conservative man, but I have learned to embrace change. I am really excited about the SEC, and I am very interested in seeing how the new Big 10 manages with a conference that spans the USA and four time zones. But what I am most excited about is the 12 team college playoff.
Why? Because we are going to bring the excitement of a real tournament to the best game in the world, American college football. Texas eyes are on the prize, and I think there is a very strong probability that Texas makes the field of 12. To refresh your memories, here is how the 12 team CFP will work:
- The 5 highest ranked conference champions get automatic bids. This rewards the regular season and is consistent with other NCAA tournaments.
- The top 4 highest ranked conference champions are seeded 1 through 4, and those teams get a first-round bye.
- The remaining 8 reams will play first round games at the home stadium of the higher ranked school (No. 12 at No. 5, No. 11 at No. 6, No. 10 and No. 7, and No. 9 at No. 8).
- The quarterfinals (the top 4 versus the winners of the first round games) will play in New Year’s Six bowl games.
If Texas wins the SEC, the Horns get a bye. If we finished ranked in the Top 11 but don’t win the SEC, then we are in. (The sixth highest-ranked conference champion in the final CFP rankings gets in automatic bid too, which will usually mean the highest ranked Group of 5 conference winner.)
And here is what I am really excited about: if we are 5, 6, 7, or 8, then The University of Texas will host a playoff game on either December 20 or 21. One of the projections I saw was Texas hosting Ole Miss.
One important factor to keep in mind: If a team plays in its conference championship game and makes it to the National Championship Game, that team will be playing in its 17th game of the season.
Texas and Georgia could play three times this season: Austin on October, 19, SEC CG in Atlanta on December 7, and then somewhere in the CFP. Crazy. And fun.
The 2024 Texas Season
The Longhorns have an incredible 2024 schedule. Great teams, great games, and, as CDC assured us, better start times (for the most part). A few thoughts and predictions.
Colorado State Rams, August 31, 2:30 p.m. Darrell K Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium. W. This won’t be close. Sunday night, Texas was favored by 32.5. Horns will win and probably cover. Unfortunately, “our media partners” [in this case, ESPN], has pegged this for a mid-afternoon start in August. In Texas. Rams were 5-7 last year, 3-5 in the Mountain West. In the second game of the 2023 season, they were playing rival Colorado in Boulder and lost in double overtime 35-43. On a questionable call as I recall. Decent wins – over Middle Tennessee in Murfreesboro, conference wins over Boise State (31-30), San Diego State (22-19), and Nevada (who tested Southern Methodist big time Saturday night) in Fort Collins. The Colorado State coach is Jay Norvell.
Michigan, September 7, 11:00 a.m., in Ann Arbor; FOX. W. Playing the defending National Champions (regardless of what went down in the off-season) will be hard, even harder at their stadium, and my “W” is about as close to a “no pick” as you can get. Can’t wait to finally be in The Big House, and I look forward to writing about the game next week and reliving memories of the 2005 Rose Bowl. The Wolverines return a very good defense off of a team that was the best defense in the nation last year (#1 in scoring, #1 in total D). Harbaugh’s men were the victors in every game they played, finishing 15-0. Going to be epic. Texas favored by 3.5.
UTSA, September 14, 6:00 p.m., DKR-TMS, ESPN. W. The Roadrunners have come a long way in their short history. 9-4 last year, 7-1 in the American. They lost at Houston, to Army, at No. 23 Tennessee, and at No. 23 Tulane. One reason they were so good was Trey Moore, the No. 1 edge rusher in the portal after last season. He is now a Longhorn. UT San Antonio’s roster is laden with Texans who are well-coached by one of my favorites, Jeff Traylor. Horns will win, but this won’t be a lay-up.
Louisiana Monroe, September 21, 7:00 p.m., DKR-TMS, ESPN+/SECN+. W. The Warhawks had a bad 2023. Two non-conference wins to start the season, then they went to College Station to collect a whipping and a check from Texas Agricultural & Mechanical (47-3), and then lost 9 in a row. I haven’t seen a line, but Texas will cover.
Mississippi State, September 28 (Afternoon window, 2:30-3:30 p.m.). DKR-TMS. W. The Bulldogs had a 5-7 season last year, and went 1-7 in the SEC. Their only conference win was a 7-3 game in Fayetteville.
Land Thieves in the Red River Shootout, October 12, 2:30 p.m. The Cotton Bowl, broadcast on ABC or ESPN. W. Finally, not an 11:00 a.m. kick in my favorite game. Thank you Chris Del Conte. Oklahoma had a good final Big 12 season: 7-2 in conference, 10-2 overall. Back to back losses to Kansas and Oklahoma State. One of those wins included the 34-30 win in the RRS over the Horns. The Land Thieves are probably better than most are giving them credit for. This will be a tough game. Texas favored by 7.5.
Georgia Bulldogs, October 19, DKR-TMS, (Flex window, 2:30 – 7:00 p.m.). This will be the first of many epic SEC games in Austin. Kirby Smart is considered the best coach in college football, the Bulldogs have won 2 recent national championships (2021 and 2022), have a very good team, and are an almost consensus preseason pick to win it all in 2024. The Dawgs were great in 2023, going 12-0 before meeting Nick Saban and the Tide in the SEC CG on December 2. That loss knocked them out of the playoffs, and they instead gave the Florida State Seminoles a 63-3 beating in the Orange Bowl. Assuming both teams are undefeated, this will be the biggest game of the season, at least as of October 19. Georgia favored by 1.5.
Vanderbilt, October 26. Nashville, (Afternoon window, 2:30-3:30 p.m.). W. This is really going to make some friends mad (sorry Clint, Biz, etc.). But I think if we do have another consolidation in college football, some very good academic schools in the SEC and Big 10 may not be playing football against the same teams in the future that they will play the next couple of years. I hope I am wrong, but I suspect there is a high likelihood of another shuffle in the next 8-10 years. That pessimistic note aside, the Commodores went winless in the SEC in 2023. They beat Hawaii and Alabama A&M to open the season, then lost 8 in a row. Don’t expect major improvement this year, as Vandy pretty much has the upper half of the SEC on their schedule.
Florida, November 9, 11:00 a.m.. DKR-TMS. ABC or ESPN. W. Coach Billy Napier is on the hot seat after the Gators when 5-7, 3-5 last year, finishing a lackluster season on a five game losing streak. I think Florida will be better, but maybe not that much better this year. They have the most brutal of schedules. I have no enmity toward the Florida Gators. A very fine, state flagship school. Lots of family down there, most all of them Gators.
Arkansas, November 16, 11:00 a.m.. Razorback Stadium, FayetteNam. W. The Razorbacks matched the Starkville Bulldogs for SEC futility in 2023. 1-7 in conference, the only SEC victory a 39-36 overtime win at Florida. The first part of the season, they competed, with a 7 point loss to BYU, a 3 point loss at Louisiana State, a 12 point loss to Texas Agricultural & Mechanical, a touchdown loss at Ole Miss, and a 3 point loss at Tuscaloosa. Then they got the win at Florida, then they gave up 48 points in losses to Auburn and Missouri. 4-8, 1-7. Not a good year. Such a pity. They will be better this year, and as Sark said at SEC Media Days, “I jokingly say this, I feel like when you go to Arkansas, I almost at times think they hate Texas more than they like themselves. That’s a real rivalry.” To which Arky coach Sam Pittman responded, “I will say this, we hadn’t played Texas for years and we played them a couple of years back, it was the most excited our fanbase has been in a while. So I would say he’s probably right.” Good to be back with great rivals. I hope we beat ‘em by 50.
Kentucky, November 23, DKR-TMS, (Flex window, 2:30 – 7:00 p.m.). W. Kentucky is a much improved team, and this could be a really big game. It is going to be a really big tailgate party, especially if it is a night game. The Wildcats went 7-5 last year, 3-5 in the SEC. Lost a close one to Clemson in the Gator Bowl.
Texas Agricultural & Mechanical, November 30, 6:30 p.m. (Flex window, 2:30 – 7:00 p.m.). W. Texas Agricultural & Mechanical finished the 2023 regular season 7-5 and 4-4 in the SEC. To their credit, 3 of their 4 SEC losses were one score losses to ranked teams (Alabama, Tennessee, and Ole Miss). Louisiana State beat the Aggies 42-30. Texas Agricultural & Mechanical lost to Oklahoma State 23-31 in the Texas Bowl (25 days after the Horns had whipped the Cowboys 49-21). This is one of the biggest games on the Texas schedule, and it will be one of the hardest. I know at one point last week, tickets for this game were top demand among ticker resellers. Texas favored by 3.5. Longhorns: note that is the same preseason line as Texas at Michigan.
2024 Southeastern Conference Football Championship, December 7, 3:00 p.m. on ABC. Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia. This game is within reach!
The Great 2023 Texas Season
Last year I had Texas with 9 wins. Here is how I did (“NP” means no preseason prediction):
2023 Season Results:
Speaking of Lubbock … The “iconic” Joey McGuire.
Alignment
For those of you who don’t get to hear the Texas Triumvirate talk, when they do, CDC talks a lot about alignment. How leadership is aligned. It goes like this: The Honorable Chairman Kevin Eltife delivers a rousing political stump speech to fire up the crowd, President Hartzell gives his calm, rational, and reasoned explanation of whatever topic he is assigned that evening, and then Vice President and Lois and Richard Folger Athletics Director Christopher M. Del Conte neatly ties the threads together and explains the Alignment. The Power of The University of Texas. I leave thinking that Chris has just described something akin to The Force. Powerful enough to defeat any Evil Empire. I will leave it to you to figure out which role Messrs. Eltife, Hartzell, and Del Conte would play in a Star Wars episode. (And I am not thinking what you think I am thinking.)
What isn’t always talked about as much is that this powerful Texas Triumvirate is backed by Governor Abbott, a Texas Longhorn and powerful politician not just in Texas but nationally, an exceptional Board of Regents appointed by Governor Abbott and ably led by Chairman Eltife, and supported by U.T. Chancellor James B. Milliken, who brings his own set of intelligence and exceptional political skills plus the attributes of a great consigliere to the table and a deep bench at System. And then there are the dozens of powerful Texans outside the University providing financial and political support, while President Hartzell and CDC are strongly supported on Campus by an array of extraordinarily talented and committed people.
Whether the next 10 years rivals The Golden Decade for Texas Longhorns sports remains to be seen. It is among my most fervent hopes as I see my own golden years on the horizon. But I know this without doubt: The University of Texas has all the right people and pieces in place to be a dominant, if not the best, athletic program in the best conference in the nation.
The Preseason Polls
2024 Longhorn Football Prospectus: Thinking Texas Football
Paul Wadlington’s preseason book on the Longhorns is a must read. Here is the link to purchase it. I highly recommend it. Great stuff, and Paul is a very good and entertaining writer.
2024 Longhorn Football Prospectus: Thinking Texas Football (smashwords.com)
Other Rankings
Georgia, Ohio State, Oregon, Michigan, Alabama, Texas, Penn State, Notre Dame, Ole Miss, Louisiana State. Land Thieves at 12, Missouri at 13, Tennessee at 16, Texas Agricultural & Mechanical at 19.
ESPN College Football Power Index
The ESPN analytics team does a good job with this. Texas number 3
Odds
The people who make money by setting odds and taking bets are pretty good at what they do. That’s why they make a lot of money, and why most bettors lose more often than not. I am not big on betting, but I do think the information and insight from the oddsmakers and sportsbooks is excellent.
National Champion:
Southeastern Conference
The 2024 Texas Longhorns
A brief look at the team. I strongly recommend you get Paul Wadlington’s Thinking Texas Football e-book for a much deeper and excellent analytical look at each position and the players.
I am a lifelong, genetically encoded, un-reformable procrastinator. Despite starting this edition of the Austin Horns Fan Dispatch a couple of weeks ago, I put off until late Monday night my review of the players. I have, of course, been reading, researching, and thinking. But not writing. The good news is, this is going to be short and sweet.
Offense
Quarterback
Texas has one of the three best quarterbacks in the nation in Quinn Ewers, backed up by the best backup quarterback in the nation in Arch Manning. If Quinn Ewers can stay healthy and clean up his accuracy and efficiency beyond 20 yards, we may very well be playing a 16th or 17th game. As for all the noise that the clickbait pundits and peddlers so desperately like to make in there sad search for attention, Arch Manning isn’t going anywhere.
Don’t forget how good Trey Owens looked in the spring game.
Texas has a quarterback room that is in the envy all but one or two schools in the country.
Quinn is in the new Dr. Pepper Fansville commercials. What a stud. This one is really good.
Anyone recognize the sheriff?
Running back
No way to beat around the bush. Losing CJ Baxter to injury was really really bad, and losing the freshman Christian Clark was an additional blow.
The good news is, I have complete confidence in Jaydon Blue as a starting, heavy load workhorse running back. If Blue stays healthy, we will see him run for more than 1,000 yards. And given his excellent hands and ability to run after the catch, he could have a big total offense season.
The next backup is now Tre Wisner. Very good, and I expect him to be able to contribute.
An interesting wildcard is a really good athlete and big kid named Nik Sanders who was playing baseball a Disch-Falk Field a few months ago. Really glad they’re letting him be part of the football team, and I won’t be surprised if we see him more than a couple of times. What you don’t know: He is the biggest kid in the RB room, at 6-2, 215 pounds (and still 2 inches shorter and 10 pounds lighter than Manning!).
Offensive line
They are good, they are big, they are experienced, and they are deep. Kelvin Banks, Jr. is a preseason first team All-American, and one of the best ever to play at The University. Paul Wadlington noted in the 2024 Perspective:
“He acquitted himself well against Alabama’s Will Anderson and Texas Tech’s Tyree Wilson, more than held his own against Iowa State’s Will McDonald and won his matchup against Kansas State’s Felix Aniludike-Uzomah. All four edge players were first round NFL draft picks.”
Hayden Connor, a fourth year senior guard. Cameron Williams at the other tackle will be a key to Texas success.
Jake Majors at center is a 5th year senior. He’s great at calling the defense and making adjustments for the line. He and Quinn make a great battery.
Kyle Flood has built a cohesive unit and now has an experienced and deep stable of very big humans, and this unit will compete to be the best in the nation.
Tight End
My love for the tight end position and great offense involving a tied in has been rekindled under Steve Sarkisian. We lost a great one in the draft, but we have two good seniors with Gunnar Helm and Amari Niblack. Behind them or some freshman, but they are big and will do well. Another quote from Wadlington:
Despite a deep receiving room, Texas won’t be shy about continuing to employee two tight end sets to hunt for certain coverages or attack defenses in the running game that choose to go with light personnel. Over the last two years, Texas has spent a surprising number of snaps with two tight ends on the field, ranking them in the top 10 in college football in that personnel grouping.
Thanks Sark!
Wide receivers
It’s hard to believe that as good as that wide receiver room was last year, we may have an overall squad that is, on the whole, darn near as is good.
Bond. Isaiah Bond. Will be wearing number 7. Transfer from Alabama.
Matthew Golden left Houston for Austin, and I expect him to be great.
Silas Bolden transferred from Oregon State, and the reports from summer camp are really, really encouraging.
Overall, the offense is experience, and will be operating under the Steve Sarkisian system which has essentially doubled in success each of the last two years since the first season of the Sark era which went 5-7. While our national stats may not be as good as 2023 (facing SEC defenses), the production and efficiency will be there to win a lot of football games.
Defense
Defensive Backs
I think this is the year that Pete Kwiatowski’s defense has to play at a top 10 level. If it does, we’re playing in January.
The defensive backfield returns Michael Taaffe and his Lamborghini deal, Jahdae Barron, Malik Muhammad, and others. There are also transfers and freshman, but the key to it all will probably be Barron and Muhammad. Hopefully Derek Williams will live up to some of his expectations, And if the guys in front of them can do what they need to do on defense, this will be a solid season for DBU.
Linebackers
While my favorite position on the offensive side is tight end, my favorite on the defensive side is linebacker. This year, the linebacker corps is led by Anthony Hill, who as Cedric Golden noted, may very well end up being an All-American. He’s really good, was Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year last year, and has continued great upside in my opinion.
David Gbenda is a sixth year senior. 47 games at Texas. I will count on his experience to really help this defense execute well.
The other good linebacker to watch is Morice Blackwell.
Defensive Edge
Justice Finkley and Barryn Sorrell along with Ethan Burke and Colton Vasek form a formidable group on the outside. We’ll see what they can do. One of the biggest adds of the off-season was Trey Moore, the transfer from UT San Antonio. 2023 American defensive player of the year, set a sack record at UTSA, and is really good. I’m hoping our other youngsters are ready for the task.
D Tackle
Two men have to play up to ability and expectations this year. Alfred Collins and Vernon Broughton. Bill Norton and Tiaoalii Savae, both transfers from Arizona will be key contributors (and I can pronounce Norton), and the other newcomers will need to be ready to give productive playing time as PK rotates, big men keeping them fresh and the bruising Play that we will face in the SEC
Special teams
Burt Auburn very very good.
Will Stone very good.
Return game this year? Going to be really good.
Preseason Honors
The Walter Camp Football Foundation has Quinn Ewers and Kelvin Banks, Jr. as preseason second team All-Americans.
ESPN’s All-Americans: Kelvin Banks, Jr., first team.
Sports Illustrated (at least it is still online): Kelvin Banks, Jr., first team. The Ohio State University has 8 guys (over the 3 teams).
Associated Press: Kelvin Banks, Jr., first team.
All of these have Dillon Gabriel second team or first. The land thief transferred to Oregon. I can’t imagine leaving beautiful Norman for the Pacific Northwest. Why?? Hope he cashed a big check.
Texas Longhorns Football History
Texas is among the most storied football programs in American college football history. Not as many national championships as Alabama or Notre Dame or even those guys in Norman, but a blue blood nonetheless.
All-Time Wins
| 1. | Michigan | 145 years | 1,004 wins |
| 2. | Alabama | 132 years | 965 wins |
| 3. | Ohio State | 133 years | 964 wins |
| 4. | Notre Dame | 137 years | 948 wins |
| 4. | Texas | 131 years | 948 wins |
| 6. | Oklahoma | 129 years | 944 wins |
| 7. | Penn State | 137 years | 930 wins |
| 8. | Nebraska | 134 years | 917 wins |
| 9. | Georgia | 131 years | 881 wins |
| 10. | Southern Cal | 134 years | 875 wins |
| 11. | Tennessee | 133 years | 865 wins |
This is harder to track than one might think, and difference sources will give you different numbers, as the win totals do not include vacated games and seasons.
By Winning Percentage
| 1. | Michigan | 1,004-353-36 | .734 | Big 10 |
| 2. | Ohio State | 964-333-53 | .734 | Big 10 |
| 3. | Alabama | 965-337-43 | .733 | SEC |
| 4. | Notre Dame | 948-338-42 | .730 | Independent |
| 5. | Oklahoma | 944-341-53 | .725 | SEC |
| 6. | Boise State | 491-186-2 | .703 | MW |
| 7. | Texas | 948-392-33 | .702 | SEC |
| 8. | Southern Cal | 875-368-54 | .695 | Big 10 |
| 9. | Penn State | 930-409-42 | .689 | Big 10 |
| 10. | Nebraska | 917-424-40 | .678 | Big 10 |
| 12 | Tennessee | 876-414-53 | .672 | SEC |
| 11. | Florida State | 581-281-17 | .671 | ACC |
| 13. | Georgia | 881-429-54 | .666 | SEC |
| 14. | Louisiana State | 843-434-47 | .654 | SEC |
A couple of notes. First, Kennesaw State shows up at No. 7 in one article. 71-30 for .703 winning percentage. That’s nice. I struggled to include Boise State, but decided that a good cut-off, for my purposes, is at least 50 years of football.
Second, note the conferences. Five Big 10, six SEC, plus Notre Dame, Boise, and Florida State, who kind of doesn’t want to be in the ACC. So I have heard.
Southeastern Conference
The visionary decision by the Texas leadership to leave the Big 12 and join the Southeastern Conference was a college sports equivalent of an earthquake whose aftershock leads to more earthquakes and event shifting of tectonic plates. The Longhorn Brand is one of the biggest in college sports, if not the biggest. Doing it with the Land Thieves was brilliant strategy as well. Our biggest rival, a game that is played every year on a national stage, a game that has regularly had national championship implications for most if not all of my life. Texas and Oklahoma bring a vault full of prestige and pedigree to the already storied Southeastern conference.
A precursor of the SEC was the 19th century Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association, originally organized in 1894. The original schools were Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Sewanee, and Vanderbilt.
In 1895, the SIAA expanded to 19 institutions, which included The University of Texas. By 1920, the SIAA had 30 members. The larger schools decided to re-organize as the Southern Conference (still around) in 1920. The charter members of the Southern Conference were Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, State, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Tennessee, Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Washington and Lee University. In 1922, Florida, Louisiana State, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tulane, Vanderbilt, and VMI joined, and later in that decade, Sewanee and Duke joined. This oversized athletic association was just that, a southern equivalent of today’s NCAA.
In 1932, the schools south and west of the Appalachian Mountains reorganized as the Southeastern Conference. The charter members of the new conference were Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Louisiana State, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Sewanee, Tennessee, Tulane, and Vanderbilt. Of those original charter schools, only Sewanee, Georgia Tech, and Tulane have left. Most people know the more recent history, with Arkansas South Carolina joining in 1990, and Texas Agricultural & Mechanical and Missouri joining in 2011.
One other SEC note: Texas has a winning record against every SEC team except 3. Tied with the Mississippi aggies. 0-1 against South Carolina. And – 3-8-1 against Vanderbilt.
Our best record against a member of our new conference? Well, that would be those Fightin’ Texas Agricultural & Mechanical Aggies – 76-37-5.
Juan Heisman Tailgate: Twenty-Sixth Anniversary Season
As I reflect on last year’s great football season and a very good tailgating season, I think it was somewhat more than coincidental that our first 25 years of tailgating concluded with our last season in the Big 12. Glad we went out with a championship!
The next quarter century will be in the brave new world of the Southeastern Conference. Many of the guys in the Crew (including me), have had children attend SEC schools. Riley Dunn (daughter of Kelly & Rob and who has grown up at Juan Heisman), started at Georgia this month. We have friend and family connections and roots throughout the SEC states. We are expecting a big season, and we are prepared for it.
We welcome back Tito’s Handmade Vodka as our distilled spirits sponsor and provider. Thanks to Bryan Plater and Bert and Shelby Espinoza all our friends at Tito’s Handmade Vodka.
Texas Beer Company, the great craft brewery in Taylor, Texas (Taylor, not Tyler; I am Taylor from Tyler not Tyler from Taylor, but Texas Beer is from Taylor) will be back most games with their great beers.
Twin Liquors is back on board thanks to my longtime good friend David Jabour, and we appreciate their help with our beer supply and other beverages. David and his family and Twin Liquors give back to the community in so many ways. Great people, and I am grateful to partner with them. Thanks David!
And, of course, a strong supply of South Texas venison sausage, courtesy of El Jefe, Gary Farmer.
More to come on the first JHT party of 2024 and the 2024 Crew later this week in the CSU edition of The Austin Horns Fan Dispatch.
Ced and Ed College Football Preview
One of my new favorite preseason events is the Ced and Ed College Football Preview at The Headliners Club each August. This year, Ed Clements returned with Cedric Golden of the Austin-American Statesman, the great Bob Ballou of KEYE-TV here in Austin, and the legendary Kirk Bohls, who now writes for the Houston Chronicle. At the end of the lunch, I was again in the quandary of what was better, the information on the Longhorns and the football season, or the comedy and entertainment value of these four great sports journalists. It is a fairly short lunch program, so what each guy picks to talk about gives me a lot of insight into key strengths and weaknesses.
Ed opened the panel with a discussion of some of the key players and observations about the upcoming season. Kirk Bohls, who was covered Longhorns since the 1960’s, talked about how excited he was to see us compete in the Southeastern Conference. He thinks this is one of our best teams in many years. Kirk also observed that he thinks Anthony Hill Junior is one of the best players on the team and likely first team All-American. Bob Ballou is very high on Jaydon Blue. On the offensive line, Cedric Golden believes Kelvin Banks is one of the best ever tackles to play at Texas, and the best tackle in the country this year. He’s number nine on the ESPN 100 list.
Ballou talked about the need to replace T’Vondre Sweat and Byron Murphy in the middle of the defensive line. That will be a challenge. All agree that Alfred Collins needs to make it happen in his senior year, and that Vernon Broughton has to step up and have a big senior season.
Bob’s other important notes included a lot of high praise for Quinn Ewers. Bob said that Quinn could win the Heisman and be the number one draft pick next year, so Texas fans need to enjoy Quinn while we can. Lots of talk about how good Quinn actually has been, and how great he could be this season.
As far as the schedule everyone has Michigan and Georgia circled, of course, but there’s some other key games. Especially Arkansas and Texas Agricultural & Mechanical.
Nationally, the panel consensus was that Texas will make the College Football Playoffs. Ballou and Ed pick Georgia to win the National Championship. Bohls has Ohio State, and Ed thinks it very well could be the Oregon Ducks. On October 12, Oregon hosts the Buckeyes in Eugene.
As for our Longhorns, everyone picked 10-2 as the regular season record.
I can’t thank Ed, Ced, Bob, and Kirk enough for the amazing programs they provide us. Looking forward to hearing and reading their reports on the Longhorns in the season ahead.
Longhorns in the Olympics
The University of Texas again competed and won big at the Olympics. Former and current Longhorns won 16 medals in Paris: 6 gold, 7 silver, and 3 bronze. If the Longhorns were its own country, Texas would have ranked in 16th place in total medals won and tied for 14th in the number of gold medals earned. The gold medalist include Scottie Scheffler, who shot a 62 final round to stun the world, Julien Alfred, the Longhorn track star who won gold for Santa Lucia, and is now the fastest woman in the world. Ryan Crouser, with his third gold in the shot put (a record), and our beloved Kevin Durant, who won his fourth gold medal, making him the most decorated Team USA player in history.
A total of 214 Longhorns have won 178 medals, including 98 gold, 53 silver, and 27 bronze. When you go to The Frank Denius Family University of Texas Athletics Hall of Fame, go look at the Olympics section. Very cool.
I also want to note that Texans (either native or with ties, like Julien Alfred, the Longhorn track star who won gold for Santa Lucia) won 53 medals, which put the State of Texas on par with Australia.
Coach Eddie Reese
Eddie Reese retired this year after 46 seasons, as one of the greatest college coaches in any sport, and best ever in swimming. 15 National Championships (spanning 5 decades), 13 NCAA Runner-up, 36 top three finishes. 76 NCAA individual champions and 55 NCAA champion relays. 45 consecutive conference titles. Three time U.S. Olympics men’s swimming team coach. Thirty-five Longhorn swimmers coached by Eddie Reese have earned 44 gold medals, 16 silver medals, and 8 bronze medals. This Eddie Reese tribute video is over 7 minutes, but what do you expect when one has to document that kind of unparalleled greatness.
Thank you Coach Reese!
The Best in the Nation
The Texas Longhorns won the Director’s Cup for the third time in the last four years, edging the Leland Stanford Junior University by 1,377 points to 1,312.75 points. This excellence is the result of not just the outstanding performances on the fields and courts by our athletes, but also because of the great leadership in the Athletic Department, starting of course at the top with Vice President and Lois and Richard Folger Athletics Director Chris Del Conte. CDC is supported by an outstanding team that includes, at the leadership level, Chris Plonsky, Sarah Baumgartner, Shawn Eichorst, Ricky Brown, and Drew Martin.
Speaking of Ricky Brown, this is one of my favorite pictures of him. SI Cover!
More accolades for Vice President and Lois and Richard Folger Athletics Director Chris Del Conte. Congrats CDC!
While some Longhorns, and certainly some of our rivals, were not fans of the Longhorn Network, I was. A huge fan, and I am really going to miss it. Yes, we have the new streaming Longhorn Network, and it will be great. But I am an old guy, and I loved turning on my big screen and going to LHN and watching games, coaches’ shows, replays, documentaries. Thanks to all the people that made it happen. Great video:
https://x.com/LonghornNetwork/status/1792317438517764147
Conference Realignment & Concentration
We have been, rightfully, talking about college football conference realignment for quite some time. Really back to the 1990’s and the break-up of the Southwest Conference. A major such realignment has just occurred, but with all I have read and heard, and the more I have looked at where we are at the end of August 2024, this could better be described as realignment and concentration: the power and the wealth is now concentrated in the SEC and Big 10. As noted above, the Texas decision to join forces with the Southeastern Conference was epochal. That decision triggered the Big 10’s decision to expand, which resulted in Southern Cal (another huge brand), UCLA, Washington, and Oregon (a powerful brand, due to Nike) leaving the Pac 12, which then led to Arizona State, Arizona, Colorado, and Utah replacing Texas and Oklahoma in the Big 12, and Cal Berkeley and Stanford, very old, respected, high pedigree Pacific Coast teams, joining the Atlantic Coast Conference.
The Longhorns joining the SEC was like the driving of the golden spike when that last rail was laid for the transcontinental railroad. That changed our country, and Texas and Oklahoma joining the SEC changed the college athletics landscape. There were many other events, moves, and changes, and this, or something like this, had been coming for a long time. Recall the debates several years ago about Texas going to the SEC or Pac 12. But combined with all the other changes in college sports (especially NIL), The University of Texas Longhorns being in the SEC will be considered a landmark moment in American collegiate athletics. Some will praise the move, many will blame Texas for their own school’s relegation to a lesser league, now and in the future, when the real results of the concentration are felt.
As for the concentration issue, I commend to your reading Paul Wadlington’s media analysis in his 2024 Prospectus. It is brilliant.
Jim Nicar
Jim Nicar has taught me more University of Texas history than anyone, and his collection of stories, articles, and photographs is second to none. His website, The UT History Corner, is a treasure trove of Texas history, traditions, and trivia.
“1940: Looking south from the University of Texas campus. At the bottom left is Clark Field for baseball, then Texas Memorial Stadium, the men’s Intramural Fields and Brackenridge, Roberts, and Prather dorms, and the Texas Capitol in the distance at top right.”
Texas One Fund
No long sales pitch on this. If you are a Texas Longhorn, you need to be giving money to Texas One. That simple. We will compete and win national championships only if we are competing with our peers on the funding and NIL. This is where to make your impact on Texas Athletics and vote for your Longhorns with dollars.
Washington & Lee University
The 2024 Generals are picked second in the ODAC in the preseason poll, behind Randolph-Macon (who is ranked 10th in the Division III football preseason poll).
The season preview:
2024 Football Season Preview – Washington and Lee University (generalssports.com)
The team again features a bunch of good Texas kids, including Harrison Donovan (Austin High Maroon), who is a senior this year.
Of note, the Generals will be in San Antonio on September 21 for a game with Trinity University. Trinity is always one of the best teams in D3, and this is a great chance for W&L to come to Texas and play football. 12:00 noon kick.
Health Alliance for Austin Musicians
Y’all know about HAAM. HAAM Day 2024 is September 24. Mark your calendar.
Music
Austin proudly claims the title of Live Music Capital of the World. And the Texas Longhorns football has a long history with Austin music, but it was relationship which gained fame with Coach Darrel K Royal’s long friendship with Willie Nelson. The “pickin’ parties” were legendary, postgame late nights at the Villa Capri, and a decades-long friendship between two of the greatest ever in their respective professions.
Here is a clip from Coach Royal’s 50th birthday party in 1974, with Willie Nelson entertaining the crowd, which includes Lee Corso. I put this in Sunday night, before Edith Royal passed.
https://x.com/WalkerATX/status/1816809231430852745
Willie Nelson is one of those singers who has so many great songs I love that narrowing it down to 4 or 5 favorites is impossible. And that is before the duets. But, here are a few of my favorites.
On The Road Again
Whiskey River
Pancho & Lefty, with Merle Haggard
Seven Spanish Angels, with Ray Charles.
Luckenbach, Texas
Willie & Waylon
Picture of the Week
JType is one of my favorite Austin photographers and Instagram accounts to follow. This photo is from his July 25th post.
Website: https://jtypephotography.com/
Instagram: @jtype
Photo © JType
Thanks for reading.
God Bless Texas
God Bless America
Tim Taylor
Member, Football Writers Association of America
Tailgating before Home Football Games
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© Timothy C. Taylor, Sr. 2024. All Rights Reserved (as to original material).
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Tim Taylor P.O. Box 5371 Austin, Texas 78763-5371